Towing 33’ trailer with 2018 Yukon with Tow package.

[amesbury34]

Hey folks i have a 2018 Yukon with the HD tow package. I’m currently looking at buying an RV that’s 34’ and about 7000lbs. I’m curious what you guys think about how this might tow and if I may run into any issues. I have attached photos with details about my truck and the RV. Any advice is greatly appreciated in advance.

 

[swathdiver]

You would likely be maxed out weight wise before you even load up the Yukon. And the short wheelbase will get pushed around by that long trailer unless you are running a Pro-Pride type hitch.

She can tow that easily and even more for short distances over flat lands but head out into the open desert or mountains and she'll be a white knuckle ride.

Let's ask some of the fellas who have forgotten more about towing than I'll ever know:

@intheburbs @Geotrash @PG01

 

[Geotrash]

Hey folks i have a 2018 Yukon with the HD tow package. I’m currently looking at buying an RV that’s 34’ and about 7000lbs. I’m curious what you guys think about how this might tow and if I may run into any issues. I have attached photos with details about my truck and the RV. Any advice is greatly appreciated in advance.

Looks like 7,147 is the empty weight if I'm reading that right. By the time you get it loaded up for camping you'll be closer to 9,000 lbs. and the tongue weight will be close to the payload of the truck before you put any people or gear in it. Ours is 7,500 lbs fully loaded for camping with 950 lbs on the tongue, and I pulled it for 4 years with a long-body (Yukon XL Denali) and it's about all I wanted on the hitch in windy conditions. I pull it with a 2018 Suburban 3500 HD now and I'm much happier.

That trailer is Suburban 2500/3500 material, in my opinion.

 

[SpyShops212]

You will not have an issue pulling the bumper pull. I do sell trailers and I use my 2018 Escalade to pull it. I would suggest putting premium gas when towing. Monitor your trans temp and if it goes out of range then get the deep pan & trans cooler.

 

[intheburbs]

Looks like 7,147 is the empty weight if I'm reading that right. By the time you get it loaded up for camping you'll be closer to 9,000 lbs. and the tongue weight will be close to the payload of the truck before you put any people or gear in it. Ours is 7,500 lbs fully loaded for camping with 950 lbs on the tongue, and I pulled it for 4 years with a long-body (Yukon XL Denali) and it's about all I wanted on the hitch in windy conditions. I pull it with a 2018 Suburban 3500 HD now and I'm much happier.

That trailer is Suburban 2500/3500 material, in my opinion.

Never mind the fact that you'll be completely overloading your rear axle, the weak point of the half-ton trucks.

If you're planning to tow it 50 miles to the lake/shore, never going above 55 MPH, go for it. But if you're planning long road trips, you need to reconsider.

The three primary things working against you :
1) Short wheelbase - less stability.
2) Weak rear axle - will be the first thing overloaded.
3) Payload - unlikely you'll have enough left for people.

You want to shop for "half-ton towable" trailers.

For your Yukon - 24-26 feet, 5000-lb dry weight

RV dealers want to sell an RV. They're unlikely to tell you your tow vehicle isn't up to *****.

I tow what you're considering with my 2500 Suburban, and I'm close to its limits.

34', 8000 lbs (loaded).

 

[swathdiver]

You will not have an issue pulling the bumper pull. I do sell trailers and I use my 2018 Escalade to pull it. I would suggest putting premium gas when towing. Monitor your trans temp and if it goes out of range then get the deep pan & trans cooler.

View attachment 453918

Do you pump low octane gas into that Esky when not towing?

 

[SpyShops212]

Do you pump low octane gas into that Esky when not towing?

I never put anything except shell premium. I was just mentioning this for the members with the 5.3 since this is also a Yukon & Tahoe group.

 

[Loki223]

If you really want to go glamping i can sell you a package deal of tow pig and camper

But towing capabilities is something that is often talked about over on the other main forum i'm on. A lot of people tow with the wrong tow pig, and they end up in situations that could have been avoided. I would never tow something close to 7k dry with my suburban. Honestly the only thing the suburban might see is either the small boat or the little utility trailer i have. That's not why i bought it, and i have a tow pig for the heavy stuff. But a camper thats 7k dry is going to be to much for a half ton. Plain and simple, like stated you'll want to down size your trailer, or up size the truck. You'll also probably want to invest in a weight distributing hitch, so include that in your budget. And honestly, anything over 30 ft for me, i would prefer a gooseneck or 5th wheel, especially when talking about RVs and enclosed trailers. They tow much better and safer, but that also gets you out of SUV tow pigs and into trucks for a tow pig which i realize not everyone wants.


Another thing to consider, does your hoe have the max trailering package? if not, your tow rating is 6,400 pounds. With max tow it's 8,400, and a gear change in the axles. That would mean that if your trailer starts at 7k, you would have 1,400 pounds of weight from people, camping supplies, water tanks, food ect ect to be within your rating assuming you have the max tow package. And that weight capacity starts going away pretty quickly....

https://d3959jhrahzb4k.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/29175346/2018-Chevrolet-Trailering-Guide.pdf

 

[Bigburb3500]

Just chiming in on this as well, be VERY careful with going over GVRW - if anything happens while towing over the max your insurance company will likely not cover the incident.

 

[Tonyv__]

I’m gonna chime in on the SWB situation. That’s a big trailer. Anytime I tow with my express van (very similar platform to a LWB Gm truck if toy don’t know) I barely feel the trailer behind me. I can hitch the same 2000lb trailer on my 2015 Yukon and absolutely hate the fact that I feel it 100% of the ride.

I’ve towed a lot of different junk over the years, any swb vehicle is an annoying drive.

 

[intheburbs]

Just chiming in on this as well, be VERY careful with going over GVRW - if anything happens while towing over the max your insurance company will likely not cover the incident.

This isn't going to happen. First, I've been RVing for 20 years and have never seen, heard or read anything, ever, about a claim denial or even a moving violation as a result of an accident.

Second, insurance would indeed still cover the claim. If you cause an accident while speeding, will your insurance company deny the claim?

I’m gonna chime in on the SWB situation. That’s a big trailer. Anytime I tow with my express van (very similar platform to a LWB Gm truck if toy don’t know) I barely feel the trailer behind me. I can hitch the same 2000lb trailer on my 2015 Yukon and absolutely hate the fact that I feel it 100% of the ride.

I’ve towed a lot of different junk over the years, any swb vehicle is an annoying drive.

I have a 6x12 enclosed trailer. Weighs about 3500 lbs. Either of my trucks can pull it, and the Suburban is obviously better-suited. However, the Denali provides a smoother, more-stable and more-pleasant tow. It weighs 1000 lbs less than the Suburban.

Why is that? Wheelbase. The wheelbase of the Denali is 14 inches longer than the Suburban. To use physics-speak, that longer moment arm provides more stability and more leverage to keep the trailer tracking straight.

And, FYI, the Tahoe/Yukon wheelbase is another 14" shorter than the Suburban. Only way I'd tow something that big with a Yukon/Tahoe is if I had a Arrow/ProPride style of hitch that actually locks the trailer to the TV.

 

[SpyShops212]

If you really want to go glamping i can sell you a package deal of tow pig and camper
View attachment 454014

But towing capabilities is something that is often talked about over on the other main forum i'm on. A lot of people tow with the wrong tow pig, and they end up in situations that could have been avoided. I would never tow something close to 7k dry with my suburban. Honestly the only thing the suburban might see is either the small boat or the little utility trailer i have. That's not why i bought it, and i have a tow pig for the heavy stuff. But a camper thats 7k dry is going to be to much for a half ton. Plain and simple, like stated you'll want to down size your trailer, or up size the truck. You'll also probably want to invest in a weight distributing hitch, so include that in your budget. And honestly, anything over 30 ft for me, i would prefer a gooseneck or 5th wheel, especially when talking about RVs and enclosed trailers. They tow much better and safer, but that also gets you out of SUV tow pigs and into trucks for a tow pig which i realize not everyone wants.


Another thing to consider, does your hoe have the max trailering package? if not, your tow rating is 6,400 pounds. With max tow it's 8,400, and a gear change in the axles. That would mean that if your trailer starts at 7k, you would have 1,400 pounds of weight from people, camping supplies, water tanks, food ect ect to be within your rating assuming you have the max tow package. And that weight capacity starts going away pretty quickly....

https://d3959jhrahzb4k.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/29175346/2018-Chevrolet-Trailering-Guide.pdf

Can’t wait to go gamping with my 2024 Dodge 3500 Diesel pulls 38,000 lbs.

 

[SpyShops212]

If you really want to go glamping i can sell you a package deal of tow pig and camper
View attachment 454014

But towing capabilities is something that is often talked about over on the other main forum i'm on. A lot of people tow with the wrong tow pig, and they end up in situations that could have been avoided. I would never tow something close to 7k dry with my suburban. Honestly the only thing the suburban might see is either the small boat or the little utility trailer i have. That's not why i bought it, and i have a tow pig for the heavy stuff. But a camper thats 7k dry is going to be to much for a half ton. Plain and simple, like stated you'll want to down size your trailer, or up size the truck. You'll also probably want to invest in a weight distributing hitch, so include that in your budget. And honestly, anything over 30 ft for me, i would prefer a gooseneck or 5th wheel, especially when talking about RVs and enclosed trailers. They tow much better and safer, but that also gets you out of SUV tow pigs and into trucks for a tow pig which i realize not everyone wants.


Another thing to consider, does your hoe have the max trailering package? if not, your tow rating is 6,400 pounds. With max tow it's 8,400, and a gear change in the axles. That would mean that if your trailer starts at 7k, you would have 1,400 pounds of weight from people, camping supplies, water tanks, food ect ect to be within your rating assuming you have the max tow package. And that weight capacity starts going away pretty quickly....

https://d3959jhrahzb4k.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/29175346/2018-Chevrolet-Trailering-Guide.pdf

No duelly, no deal. Don’t want to be all over the road.

 

[Geotrash]

Looks like the OP ghosted us all. Imma stop responding to people who only have a few posts or less.

 

[Loki223]

View attachment 454359
Can’t wait to go gamping with my 2024 Dodge 3500 Diesel pulls 38,000 lbs.

IDK if that picture is taken in wide view or not, but that looks like a heck of a trailer to stick with tandem axles. The trips on mine might not be ideal for tight turns but with the weight i'm glad the trips are under her.

Looks like the OP ghosted us all. Imma stop responding to people who only have a few posts or less.

But we all only had a few posts at one point or another...i mean it's not like its super common for people to post and ghost on forums or anything.....

 

[Geotrash]

But we all only had a few posts at one point or another...i mean it's not like its super common for people to post and ghost on forums or anything.....

Yes, I understand. Feel free to respond to anyone, as you wish. I'm just done investing time in people who haven't yet demonstrated that they're willing to honor our time in answering their questions. Had they come back even a day or two later, then I'd feel differently in this case.

 

[Loki223]

Yes, I understand. Feel free to respond to anyone, as you wish. I'm just done investing time in people who haven't yet demonstrated that they're willing to honor our time in answering their questions. Had they come back even a day or two later, then I'd feel differently in this case.

Oh no, i totally get it. An an admin on another forum and have been on forums for the last 20 years or more.... Back in the day it didn't seem to be as bad as it is these days. The hardest part is keeping the FB style BS off of forums, to many people try to come to forums and act like they are owed something and then demand you fully diagnose and fix their rig with absolutely no information, then take it to a dealer and complain about how much they paid for the repairs but i digress

 

[Geotrash]

Oh no, i totally get it. An an admin on another forum and have been on forums for the last 20 years or more.... Back in the day it didn't seem to be as bad as it is these days. The hardest part is keeping the FB style BS off of forums, to many people try to come to forums and act like they are owed something and then demand you fully diagnose and fix their rig with absolutely no information, then take it to a dealer and complain about how much they paid for the repairs but i digress

One hundred percent agree. We get that here sometimes but thankfully much less often than Facebook. I won't help anyone on Facebook who hasn't demonstrated that they've searched extensively and still come up short. I can't stand the people who seem to expect that they can ask a 1-line question and that we should be falling over ourselves to help them.

 

[Loki223]

"my rig is making a sound, whats the problem with it???"

uhmm, can we find out what the sound sounds like and where it's coming from for starters????

there is a reason i bought a basket case. I like diagnosing and fixing things. Plus, i get to pay well under market value for basket case vehicles and when i sell them a coiuple of years later all fixed and perfect, i make money. It's a win win. But i only do that with spare vehicles now a days. when i was younger i did it with my primary vehicles. At one point my mom realized every time she had seen in me a year, i was in a different vehicle because of how quickly i would buy, fix, and flip a rig. the GMT400s were my jam though. Those things used to be so cheap to buy, quick and easy to fix, and sell for a good profit with barely any work. Now a days it seems like those things are worth more then a porsche for some reason

 

[JML07denali]

Don’t do it. I have a 16 SLT with the HD tow package. Pulled my 32ft camper weighs 6k lbs. with a stabilizer tow set up it swayed all over the place on the highway. Long story short ended up blowing my transmission after 600 miles. The Yukon is now my daily and I now pull the camper with a 2012 F-350 and I cant even tell I’m towing it. Buy a smaller travel trailer or upgrade your tow rig. Just my 2 cents!